The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1887-09-21
A LETTER FROM LONDON.
The English Parliament-Vastness Of The
British Metropolis.
LONDON, Sept. 1, 1887.

years, ana tnelr descendants, scattered
north, east, south and west from "the
spot where / was born"-every one of
whom with true English hospitality ex-
pected and urged me TO stay few weeks
instead of the few DAYS had at my dis
posal, last week 5got to the end of the
list, and came to this wonderful city for
the purpose of winding up my foreign
tour and getting a week or two's COM
parative rest before re-crossing the At
lantic.
As "aII roads led to Rome" when she
was mistress of the world, thus is it now
with London. In journeying to and from
any part of the midland, southern and
home counties of England have of ne
cessity passed through this city, which
according to Herschel, the great astrono-
mer, sis the center of the terrestrial
globe" but have not till now had time to
visit such points and places of interest
which every observing tourist ought to
see. Through the kindness of the Hon.
Seager Hunt, member of parliament Tor
the district of Mary-le-bone, London,
personal friend Of one of my nephews, L
had last week the pleasure and privilege
of occupying seat in the speakers gal
lery in the House Of Commons and lis
tening to the remarks made by some of
the government. ministers and other dis
tinguished members.
The exterior of the House of Parlia-
ment is enthusiastically grand, the whole
pile covering eight acres and having four
principal fronts, one of which is $40 feet
long. The Victoria tower at one ex-
/ tremity of the building is rs feet square
/ and $40 feet high, with an entrance arch
way to the House of Lords 65 feet high.
The entrance hall and lobby rooms
| through which We passed on our way to
| the room Occupied by the commons when
| in session, were very imposing, filled as
| they are with ranged life size statues Of
some of England's greatest statesmen;
the corridors also are beautifully fres-
coed, one of the historical scenes being
"The embarcation of the Pilgrim Fathers
for New England" After all this grand
eur, one feels on entering the house
where the members sit in debate, some
what disappointed to find room only 20
feet in length by 10 feet in breadth and
height, with surrounding galleries, som
bre rather than gorgeous in color, with
stationary cushioned benches for seats
but no desks in front of them for the
convenience of the members. On the
evening in question though the Opposi-
tion and the government were pitted
against each other on almost every sub
iect in debate, one could not but be
struck with amazement at the exceed
ingly quiet and conversational manner in
which the various speakers addressed the
house. Perhaps this was owing to the
fact that for a wonder the Irish question
was not portion Of the printed order of
business for the evening, and the MEM
bers who invariably do get excited when
this "irrepressible conflict" is being dis
cussed were glad of an opportunity to
cool off. To us the discussions were dry
and uninteresting, and having gratlhed
our curiosity to see and hear We took our
leave in about four hours after entering,
though the house did not adjourn, as
usual, till early morning.
In one of his speeches, John Bright, Nj.
p. for Birmingham, once said: "a great
many of you have been to London, and
yet you know nothing about it. / have
spent six months there every year for
forty years, and yet know nothing about
it. / do not believe that there is a man
in it who is fairly acquainted with all
the parts and districts Of that vast CITY,"
Some idea of the vastness of this city
may be had when We consider that it has
now within a fifteen mile radius nearly
8, ,0O0, 900 inhabitants. Its streets placed
end to end would extend from here to
New York, nearly 5000 miles. Nearly
eight hundred Thousand persons, and
over seventy thousand vehicles daily
enter and leave the comparatively small
area 1852 acres) of the city of London
proper, where every inch of ground is
ardently contended for. and where re-
Gently Tin Lombard street, a special
plot of land fetched price equal TO ten
millions of dollars an acre. What task
to write up such a city! Who dare try
it?
A great boon to the average Londoner
is the close competition existing amongst
the various railroad companies in excur-
sion rates to the sea side and various
watering places throughout England and
Wales. For less than one dollar ticket
can be procured good for days or more,
which will convey the holder to and from
Brighton, Hastings, SouthSea, Dover, or
a dozen other fashionable resorts from
GO to 80 miles distant from the great
metropolis. Thousands, during the sea-
son, avail themselves of this privilege,
and il is a notable fact that though this
year excursion rates have been reduced
25 per cent. on former rates, the travel
has so increased that the reilroad COM
panies have profted instead of suffered
by it.
The American tourist is not slow to
avail himself of the excursion rates.
During the season opportunities are
given to purchase lay over tickets en-
abling travellers TO stop at any point of
interest on the line of the railroad issu-
ing them. The country is so completely
intersscted with railroads that the indi-
vidual tourist has no difficulty In map
ping out his route and doing each place
Of historical celebrity or in any way of
more than ordinary interest ct his
leisure, without enoumbering himself
with any of the annoyances inseparably
connected with a promiscuous tourist
party, and at a less expense. The en-
closed clipping from the London Echo Of
Aug. 80, states that on a low estimate
$1,000 Americans have visited England
this year.
1t was my fortune last Sunday to pro-
cure front seat near the pulpit In MIR.
Spurgeon's Tabernacle. The building is
oblong in shape, has three galleries and
will seat 5c00 persons. Not only were
the seats filed, all the standing room
was occupied also. 1t is wonderful the
hold this good man has upon the people.
think it is because he is good. Mr..
Spurgeon, by his blameleSs and consist
ent life, has lived down ali distrust and
opposition. Vast sums of money have
besn given to him subject only to his
own control and for which he has never
been called to give an account, but his
integrity is unquestioned. Eloquent he
Is but not an orator in the general sense
/ or that word. His remarkable flow of
words and the aptness of his numerous
illustrations, which seem to come to his